Robotic attacher and method of operation

ABSTRACT

A method of operating a robotic attacher, includes suspending a robotic attacher from a rail and extending the robotic attacher between the legs of a dairy livestock. The method continues by attaching milking equipment to the dairy livestock using a gripping portion of the robotic attacher during a milking operation, wherein the gripping portion has a nozzle that is positioned away from a teat of the dairy livestock during the milking operation. The method concludes by rotating the gripping portion of the robotic attacher so that the nozzle is positioned to face a teat of the dairy livestock during a spraying operation.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/331,367, filedJul. 15, 2014 entitled “Robotic Attacher and Method of Operation,” whichis a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/454,490, filed Apr. 24, 2012,which is now U.S. Pat. No. 8,813,680 issued Aug. 26, 2014, which is adivisional application claiming the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) ofthe priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/095,983, filed Apr.28, 2011 which is now U.S. Pat. No. 9,107,378 issued Aug. 18, 2015,entitled “Milking Box With Robotic Attacher,” the entire disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to dairy farming and more particularlyto a robotic attacher and method of operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over time, the size and complexity of dairy milking operations hasincreased. Accordingly, the need for efficient and scalable systems andmethods that support dairy milking operations has also increased.Systems and methods supporting dairy milking operations, however, haveproven inadequate in various respects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, disadvantages andproblems associated with previous systems supporting dairy milkingoperations may be reduced or eliminated.

In certain embodiments, a system includes a front wall, a rear wallpositioned substantially parallel to the front wall, and first andsecond side walls each extending between the front wall and the rearwall. The first side wall includes a gate, and the second side wall isspaced apart from the first side wall such that the front wall, the rearwall, the first side wall, and the second side wall define a milking boxstall of a size sufficient to accommodate a dairy livestock. The systemincludes an equipment portion located adjacent to the rear wall. Theequipment portion houses a robotic attacher configured to extend betweenthe rear legs of a dairy livestock located within the milking box stallin order to attach milking equipment to the dairy livestock.

Particular embodiments of the present disclosure may provide one or moretechnical advantages. For example, in certain embodiments, the system ofthe present disclosure includes a robotic attacher positioned to therear of a milking box housing a dairy cow being milked rather than tothe side of the milking box, as in certain conventional systems. Therobotic attacher being positioned to the rear of a milking box may allowtwo milking boxes to be positioned side-by-side such that the roboticattacher may attach milking equipment to dairy cows located in each ofthe milking boxes. As a result, the cost associated with the milkingboxes may be less that that of certain conventional milking boxes, whichmay require a milking robot for each milking box. Additionally, therobotic attacher being positioned to the rear of a milking box may allowfor gates to be positioned on each side of the milking box. As a result,a dairy cow may enter or exit the milking box on either side, allowingfor increased sorting capabilities.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include some, all, ornone of the above advantages. One or more other technical advantages maybe readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the figures,descriptions, and claims included herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention andthe features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate example configurations of an enclosure 100 inwhich one or more milking boxes are installed, according to certainembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example controller that may be used to control oneor more components of the example milking box depicted in FIG. 1,according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed perspective view of the example milkingbox depicted in FIG. 1, according to certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed perspective view of the example roboticattacher depicted in FIG. 3, according to certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for milking a dairy cow using theexample milking box depicted in FIGS. 1-4, according to certainembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for installation of the examplemilking box depicted in FIGS. 1-4, according to certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate example configurations of an enclosure 100 inwhich one or more milking boxes 120 are installed, according to certainembodiments of the present disclosure. Enclosure 100 may be divided intoa number of regions 110 (e.g., regions 110 a and 110 b), and each region110 may include resting stalls, feeding troughs, walking paths, and/orother structure suitable for housing dairy livestock. Although thepresent disclosure contemplates enclosure 100 as housing any suitabledairy livestock (e.g., dairy cows, goats, sheep, water buffalo, etc.),the remainder of this description is detailed with respect to dairycows.

Each milking box 120 may include a stall portion 122 configured to housea dairy cow being milked. The stall portion 122 of each milking box 120may be defined by a number of walls 124, each of which may each beconstructed from any suitable materials arranged in any suitableconfiguration operable to maintain a dairy cow within stall portion 122during milking. In certain embodiments, stall portion 122 of milking box120 may include walls 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, and 124 d. For purposes ofillustration, wall 124 a may be designated as the front of milking box120 such that the head of a dairy cow being milked would be facing wall124 a. Wall 124 c may be positioned opposite wall 124 a and may bedesignated as the rear of milking box 120. Walls 124 b and 124 d mayeach form a side extending between the front and rear of milking box120. Walls 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, and 124 d may be spaced apart a suitabledistance to ensure the comfort of the dairy cow within stall portion122.

Walls 124 b and/or 124 d may comprise one or more gates 126. In certainembodiments, wall 124 b and/or wall 124 d may comprise an entry gate 126a and an exit gate 126 b. A dairy cow may enter milking box 120 throughan opened entry gate 126 a and exit milking box 120 through an openedexit gate 126 b. Closing gates 126 may maintain the dairy cow withinmilking box 120 during milking, while opening one or more gates 126 mayallow the dairy cow to exit milking box 120. In certain embodiments,gates 126 may each be coupled to a corresponding actuator such that thegates 126 may be automatically opened and/or closed. For example, theactuators corresponding to gates 126 may each be configured tocommunicate (e.g., via wireless or wireline communication) with acontroller 200, depicted in detail in FIG. 2.

Controller 200 may include one or more computer systems at one or morelocations. Examples of computer systems may include a personal computer,workstation, network computer, kiosk, wireless data port, personal dataassistant (PDA), one or more processors within these or other devices,or any other suitable device for receiving, processing, storing, andcommunicating data. In short, controller 200 may include any suitablecombination of software, firmware, and hardware. Controller 200 mayinclude any appropriate interface 210 for receiving inputs and providingoutputs, logic 220, one or more processing modules 230, and memorymodule 240. Logic 220 includes any information, logic, applications,rules, and/or instructions stored and/or executed by controller 200.Processing modules 230 may each include one or more microprocessors,controllers, or any other suitable computing devices or resources andmay work, either alone or with other components, to provide a portion orall of the functionality described herein. Controller 200 mayadditionally include (or be communicatively coupled to via wireless orwireline communication) one or more memory modules 240. Memory modules240 may be non-transitory and may each include any memory or databasemodule. Memory modules 240 may take the form of volatile or non-volatilememory, including, without limitation, magnetic media, optical media,random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable media, orany other suitable local or remote memory component.

Returning to FIG. 1, controller 200 may be operable to determine, usingany appropriate logic in conjunction with signals received from othercomponents of milking box 120 (e.g., presence sensor 132, gate sensors134, and/or identification sensor 136, each of which is described withregard to FIG. 3, below), which gates 126 should be open and/or closed.Controller 200 may then communicate signals to the actuators coupled tothe determined gates 126, the signals causing the gates 126 to open orclose. The automated control of gates 126 using controller 200 isdescribed in further with regard to FIG. 3, below

Each milking box 120 may additionally include an equipment portion 128located to the rear of stall portion 122 (i.e., adjacent to rear wall124 c of stall portion 122). Equipment portion 128 may comprise anystructure suitable for housing and/or storing a robotic attacher (e.g.,robotic attacher 150, described below with regard to FIG. 3), one ormore preparation cups, teat cups, receiver jars, separation containers,and/or any other suitable milking equipment. Rear wall 124 c (which mayinclude a backplane 138, as described below with regard to FIG. 3) mayseparate stall portion 122 from equipment portion 128 such thatequipment portion 128 is substantially inaccessible to a dairy cowlocated in stall portion 122. Accordingly a dairy cow located in stallportion 122 may be prevented from accidentally damaging the milkingequipment by kicking, biting, trampling, or exposing the milkingequipment to dirt, fluids, etc.

In certain embodiments, the equipment portion 128 being located to therear of stall portion 122 may allow milking boxes 120 to be aligned in asingle row such that walls 124 b and 124 d of each milking box 120 maycomprise an entry gate 126 a and an exit gate 126 b (as illustrated inFIG. 1A). As a result, milking boxes 120 may be used to sort dairy cowsinto particular regions 110 by controlling the opening/closing of eachgate 126 (e.g., in response to signals from a controller 200, asdescribed above). For example, a dairy cow needing a health check ormedical attention my be sorted into an appropriate region 110 (e.g., aveterinary pen). As another example, a dairy cow determined to befinished milking for the year and needing to be dried off and bread maybe sorted out of the milking heard. As yet another example, a dairy cowmay be sorted into one of a number of regions 110 based on the stage oflactation of the dairy cow (as dairy cows in different stages mayrequire different feeds).

In certain other embodiments, the equipment portion 128 being located tothe rear of stall portion 122 may allow pairs of milking boxes 120 to belocated side by side such that the milking boxes share a wall 124 (e.g.,wall 124 b may be shared between milking box 120 c and milking box 120d, as depicted in FIG. 1B). As a result, a single robotic attacher(e.g., robotic attacher 150, described below with regard to FIG. 3) maybe shared by the pair of milking boxes 120, which may reduce to cost ofinstalling multiple milking boxes 120 in the enclosure 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed perspective view of an example milking box120, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Asdescribed above with regard to FIG. 1, milking box 120 may comprise astall portion 122 (defined by walls 124 and gates 126) and equipmentportion 128 located to the rear of stall portion 122. In certainembodiments, stall portion 122 of milking box 120 may include a feedbowl 130, a presence sensor 132, one or more gate sensors 134, and anidentification sensor 136. Additionally, one or more of feed bowl 130,presence sensor 132, gate sensor(s) 134, and identification sensor 136may be communicatively coupled to controller 200 (described above withregard to FIG. 2).

In certain embodiments, feed bowl 130 may dispense feed in order toattract a dairy cow so that the dairy cow will enter milking box 120voluntarily. Accordingly, at least one of the entry gates 126 a mayremain open when there is no dairy cow present to allow a dairy cow toenter. Once the dairy cow has entered milking box 120, presence sensor132 may detect the presence of the dairy cow. For example, presencesensor 132 may detect when the dairy cow has passed through the entrancegate 126 a and/or when the dairy cow is generally centered in the stallportion 122. Upon detecting the presence of the dairy cow, presencesensor 132 may send a signal to controller 200. In response to thesignal, controller 200 may cause one or more actuators to close gates126. Gate sensor 134 may determine when gates 126 have closed. Gatesensor 134 may communicate a signal to controller 200 upon determiningthat gates 126 have closed. Controller 200 may initiate a milkingprocedure in response to the signal.

In certain embodiments, identification sensor 136 may determine theidentity of the dairy cow. As an example, identification sensor 136 maycomprise an antenna operable to read a radio frequency identification(RFID) from an ear tag, a collar, or other identifier associated withthe dairy cow. Once the dairy cow has been identified, theidentification sensor 136 may optionally be turned off to preventwasting power and/or to minimize the dairy cow's exposure to radiowaves.

Identification sensor 136 may communicate the identity of the dairy cowto controller 200 to facilitate retrieving information describing thedairy cow (e.g., from memory 240 or any other suitable location).Information describing the dairy cow may comprise historical datadescribing the particular dairy cow during a previous time period, suchas a previous milking cycle. The previous milking cycle may refer to amilking cycle in which milking equipment was manually attached (e.g., bya user) or a milking cycle in which milking equipment was automaticallyattached (e.g., by a robotic attacher 150, described below). In certainembodiments, milking equipment may be attached manually the first timethe dairy cow is milked in order to establish initial informationdescribing the dairy cow, such as where the teats are located. Thelocation of the dairy cow's teats may be described relative to a featureof the dairy cow, such as relative to the rear of the dairy cow, thehind legs, and/or a portion of the dairy cow's udder, such as a mid-lineof the udder or relative to one or more of the other teats. A roboticattacher (e.g., robotic attacher 150, described below) may use theinformation describing the location of the teats during subsequentmilkings to facilitate automatically attaching the milking equipment.

Examples of historical data include measurements, statistics, healthinformation, and any other information describing the dairy cow during aprevious time period. Examples of measurements include the length of thedairy cow (e.g., from head to tail) and the location of the dairy cow'steats during a previous milking cycle. Examples of statistics mayinclude statistics describing when the dairy cow was last milked, theamount of milk produced in previous milking cycles, and so on. Examplesof health information may include a designation not to milk the dairycow due to a health problem or a designation to sort the dairy cow intoa veterinary pen. In certain embodiments, a user may set an indicator inthe database to indicate that the dairy cow should be sorted into theveterinary pen because the dairy cow is due for a check-up or becausethe user noticed the dairy cow appears to be ill or injured.

Controller 200 may use the information retrieved according to theidentity of the dairy cow to determine how the particular dairy cowshould be handled. If the information indicates the dairy cow should notbe milked, controller 200 may cause an actuator to open one or more ofthe exit gates 126 b. For example, if controller 200 determines that thedairy cow should be sorted into a particular region 110 of enclosure100, such as a veterinary pen, it may cause the exit gate 126 b thataccesses the selected region 110 to open. Alternatively, controller 200may cause multiple exit gates 126 b to open if the dairy cow is to begiven the option of which region 110 to occupy upon exiting milking box120. In certain embodiments, a prod may be used to encourage the dairycow to exit. Examples of prods include a noise, a mechanical device, ora mild electric shock.

Upon a determination that the dairy cow should be milked, controller 200may continue the milking procedure. In certain embodiments, controller200 may cause a dispenser to drop feed into feed bowl 130. Additionally,controller 200 may cause feed bowl 130 to move toward the dairy cow inorder to encourage the dairy cow to move to a pre-determined part ofstall portion 122. As an example, feed bowl 130 may be initiallypositioned in the front of stall portion 122 when the dairy cow enters.Feed bowl 130 may then move back toward the dairy cow to encourage thedairy cow to move to the rear of stall portion 122 (e.g., againstbackplane 138, described below) in order to facilitate attaching themilking equipment to the dairy cow. To ensure feed bowl 130 does notcrowd the dairy cow, the amount of movement of feed bowl 130 may becustomized to the size of the dairy cow. For example, a user maydetermine an appropriate location for feed bowl 130 the first time thedairy cow enters milking box 120. The location may be stored (e.g., inmemory module 240 of controller 200) such that it may be retrievedduring subsequent milkings according to the identity of the dairy cow.Alternatively, the feed bowl 130 may be configured to continue movingtoward the rear of the stall portion 122 until the dairy cow contactsbackplane 138 (described below), which may indicate that the dairy cowis positioned in a location that is suitable for attaching the milkingequipment.

In certain embodiments, rear wall 124 c of stall portion 122 includes abackplane 138. Backplane 138 may comprise any suitable configuration ofmaterials suitable for locating the rear of the dairy cow in order tofacilitate the efficient attachment of the milking equipment. In certainembodiments, the dairy cow may be backed toward backplane 138 by movingfeed bowl 130 as described above. In certain other embodiments,backplane 138 may be moved forward toward the dairy cow. In certainother embodiments, a combination of backing the dairy cow towardbackplane 138 and moving backplane 138 forward toward the dairy cow maybe used. It may be determined that the rear of the dairy cow has beenlocated when a portion of backplane 138, such as a pipe or bracket,touches the rear of the dairy cow at any suitable location, such asapproximately mid-flank (i.e., between the udder and the tail).Backplane 138 may additionally include a manure gutter for directingmanure toward a side of stall portion 122 (e.g., away from the dairycow's udder and the milking equipment).

In certain embodiments, stall portion 122 may additionally include awaste grate 140 for disposing of waste. Waste grate 140 may have a roughsurface to discourage the dairy cow from standing on it. In addition,waste grate 140 may be dimensioned such that when the dairy cow's hindlegs are positioned on opposite sides of waste grate 140, the hind legsare separated to facilitate attachment of the milking equipment to thedairy cow's teats.

In certain embodiments, equipment portion 128 of milking box 120 mayinclude a robotic attacher 150, one or more preparation cups 166, teatcups 168, pumps 170, receiver jars 172, milk separation containers 174,and/or any other suitable milking equipment. In certain embodiments,robotic attacher 150 may be suspended into equipment portion 128 from arail 160. Rail 160 may be generally located above the level of the udderof a dairy cow located in stall portion 122 such that the teats of thedairy cow may be accessible to robotic attacher 150 when suspended fromrail 160. For example, rail 160 may extend across the top of equipmentportion 128 of milking box 120 and may be oriented substantiallyparallel to rear wall 124 c.

Robotic attacher 150 may be communicatively coupled to controller 200(e.g., via a network facilitating wireless or wireline communication).Controller 200 may cause robotic attacher to attach certain milkingequipment to the dairy cow's teats. For example, in certain embodiments,robotic attacher 150 may access a storage area 164 to retrievepreparation cups 166 and/or teat cups 168. Preparation cups 166 may beadapted to clean the teats, stimulate the flow of milk, and discard foremilk from the teat (e.g., the first few millimeters of milk that may bedirty). Teat cups 168 may be adapted to extract milk from the dairy cow.Preparation cups 166 and/or teat cups 168 attached to extendable hosesmay by hung within storage area 164 between milkings to protect the cupsfrom manure and flies. When it is time to milk the dairy cow, roboticattacher 150 may pull preparation cups 166 from storage area 164 andattach them to the dairy cow one at a time, two at a time, or four at atime. After the teats have been prepared, preparation cups 166 may beremoved and teat cups 168 may be attached one at a time, two at a time,or four at a time. Once the cups are attached, robotic attacher 150 maywithdraw to prevent the dairy cow from causing accidental damage to theequipment, and the system may proceed with milking the dairy cow.

During milking, pump 170 may pump good milk from teat cup 168 toreceiver jar 172 to be stored at a cool temperature. Pump 170 may pumpbad milk to milk separation container 174 to be discarded. Milk may bedetermined to be bad based on testing the milk and/or based on theparticular dairy cow from which the milk has been extracted. Forexample, information retrieved from a database according to the dairycow's identifier may indicate that the milk should be discarded becausethe dairy cow is ill or has recently calved.

In certain embodiments, robotic attacher 150 comprises a main arm 152, asupplemental arm 154, a gripping portion 156, and a vision system 158.In certain embodiments, the movement of main arm 152, supplemental arm154, and gripping portion 156 may be varied in response to signalsreceived from controller 200 (as described in further detail in FIG. 4below). Although the components of robotic attacher 150 are depicted andprimarily described as oriented in a particular manner, the presentdisclosure contemplates the components having any suitable orientation,according to particular needs.

In order to obtain access to the dairy cow's teats, main arm 152,supplemental arm 154, and gripping portion 156 may work together tofacilitate movement in three dimensions, for example, according to anx-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis. As illustrated, the x-axis extends inthe direction of the dairy cow's length (e.g., from head-to-tail), they-axis extends in the direction of the dairy cow's height, and thez-axis extends in the direction of the dairy cow's width.

Main arm 152 may comprise a vertical arm movably coupled to rail 160.For example, a hydraulic cylinder may movably couple main arm 152 torail 160. Main arm 152 may traverse rail 160 to facilitate movement ofrobotic attacher 150 along the z-axis. Accordingly, rail 160 maycomprise a track and rollers adapted to support the weight of roboticattacher 150 and to facilitate movement of main arm 152 back-and-forthalong rail 160. To prevent wires and hoses from interfering with themovement of main arm 152 along rail 160, guides 162 may be used toloosely hold the wires and hoses in place. For example, guides 162 maycomprise U-shaped brackets that allow the wires and hoses to extend asufficient amount to accommodate movements of main arm 152, but preventthe wires and hoses from dangling in the path of main arm 152.

Main arm 152 attaches to supplemental arm 154. Supplemental arm 154facilitates movements in any direction. That is, supplemental arm 154moves in-and-out along the x-axis, up-and-down along the y-axis, and/orfrom side-to-side along the z-axis. Accordingly, supplemental arm mayextend between the rear legs of the dairy cow located within stallportion 122 in order to attach milking equipment to the dairy cow.Supplemental arm 154 may comprise gripping portion 156. Gripping portion156 may grip a preparation cup 166 or a teat cup 168 for attachment tothe dairy cow's teat. Gripping portion 156 may comprise a wrist adaptedto perform fine movements, such as pivot and tilt movements, to navigatearound the dairy cow's legs and to access the dairy cow's teats. Todetermine the location of the dairy cow's legs and teats, roboticattacher 150 may use vision system 158. An example embodiment of visionsystem 158 is described with respect to FIG. 4 below.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed perspective view of an example of roboticattacher 150, according to certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Robotic attacher 150 may include a main arm 152, asupplemental arm 154, a gripping portion 156, and a vision system 158.As described with respect to FIG. 3, robotic attacher 150 may becommunicatively coupled to controller 200. Controller 200 may causerobotic attacher to retrieve a cup, such as preparation cup 166 or teatcup 168, move the cup toward a teat of a dairy cow within milking box120, and attach the cup to the teat.

In general, the teats of the dairy cow may be relatively less visiblewhen looking at the dairy cow from the rear and relatively more visiblewhen looking at the dairy cow from the side. Vision system 158 mayfacilitate locating the teats from a position to the rear of the dairycow. Vision system 158 may include multiple cameras, such as a firstcamera 158 a and a second camera 158 b. In certain embodiments, cameras158 a, 158 b may be coupled to robotic attacher 150 and may bepositioned at any suitable location along main arm 152 or supplementalarm 154. As an example, second camera 158 b may be coupled to grippingportion 156 of supplemental arm 154 at a location proximate to the partof gripping portion 156 adapted to hold a teat cup, and first camera 158a may be coupled to supplemental arm 154 at a location between secondcamera 158 b and main arm 152.

In operation, controller 200 may access a first image 176 generated byfirst camera 158 a (e.g., from memory module 240) and use first image176 to determine, using any suitable logic 220, a reference point 178proximate to the udder, which may then be stored (e.g., in memory module240). The reference point 178 may be defined relative to certainfeatures of the dairy cow, such as the hind legs and/or the udder.Controller 200 may send a signal to robotic attacher 150 causing roboticattacher 150 to position second camera 158 b relative to the referencepoint 178. Accordingly, second camera 158 b may have a consistent pointof reference from one milking cycle to the next, which may allow theteats to be located efficiently. Controller 200 may access a secondimage 180 generated by second camera 158 b (e.g., from memory module240) in order to determine, using any suitable logic 220, a location ofa teat.

In certain embodiments, first camera 158 a may comprise athree-dimensional camera adapted to generate a first image 176 depictingthe rear of the dairy cow, including the hind legs and the udder. Usinga three-dimensional camera may facilitate generating a relativelycomplete image of the rear of the dairy cow within approximately acouple of seconds (e.g., one second), which may be faster than theamount of time it would take for a two-dimensional camera to generate asimilar image. In certain embodiments, second camera 158 b may comprisea two-dimensional camera adapted to generate a second image 180depicting at least a portion of the udder to facilitate locating theteats. Second camera 158 b may facilitate locating the end of each teatwith a relatively high degree of accuracy, such as within a fewmillimeters. The location of the teat may be used to instruct roboticattacher 150 where to attach the milking equipment.

First camera 158 a may begin generating the first image 176 in responseto a signal from controller 200 indicating that the dairy cow ispositioned proximate to the milking equipment. As an example, the signalmay indicate that the rear of the dairy cow has been detected by thebackplane 138 of the milking box 120. First camera 158 a may begingenerating the first image 176 from a starting point and may update thefirst image 176 in real-time as robotic attacher 150 approaches thedairy cow. The starting point may be determined according to a defaultposition of robotic attacher 150 (e.g., a position determined relativeto milking stall 122). Thus, the starting point may be determinedwithout the use of historical data associated with the particular dairycow being milked. First camera 158 a may communicate the first image 176to controller 200, and controller 200 may use the image to locate mainfeatures of the dairy cow, such as the right hind leg, the left hindleg, the udder, and/or the tail.

Controller 200 may determine the reference point 178 based on thelocation of the main features of the dairy cow. The reference point 178may be defined relative to certain features of the dairy cow, such asthe hind legs and/or the udder. As an example, the reference point 178may be defined between the hind legs and/or below the udder. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the reference point 178 may be locatedproximate to a mid-point of the udder. The mid-point of the udder mayrefer to a point generally located between the front teats and the rearteats in the x-direction and/or between the left teats and the rightteats in the z-direction. In certain embodiments, the mid-point of theudder may be estimated prior to determining the precise location of theteats, for example, according to the general size and location of theudder. The reference point 178 may be spaced apart from the dairy cow inthe y-direction to minimize the likelihood that second camera 158 btouches the dairy cow. For example, the reference point 178 may belocated a few inches below the mid-point of the udder.

Controller 200 may communicate the reference point 178 and/orinformation describing the main features of the dairy cow to roboticattacher 150. The reference point 178 may be used to position secondcamera 158 b. The information describing the main features of the dairycow may be used to prevent robotic attacher 150 from colliding with thedairy cow when navigating second camera 158 b toward the reference point178. Information describing the main features of the dairy cow mayinclude the position of the hind legs, the space between the hind legs,the position of the udder, the height of the udder, the position of thetail, and/or other information. Once robotic attacher 150 has positionedsecond camera 158 b relative to the reference point 178, second camera158 b may begin scanning the udder.

In certain embodiments, second camera 158 b may determine where to lookfor one or more of the teats according to historical data. Thehistorical data may be received from controller 200 and may describe apreviously-determined location of the teats relative to the referencepoint 178. The previously-determined location may be based on thelocation of the teats during one or more previous milking cycles. As anexample, the previously-determined location may comprise the location ofthe teats during the most recent milking cycle. As another example, thepreviously-determined location may comprise an average of the locationsof the teats during a number of previous milking cycles. As anotherexample, the previously-determined location may comprise the location ofthe teats during a previous milking cycle in which the udder was likelyto be as full of milk as the current milking cycle. For example, ifeight hours have elapsed since the dairy cow was last milked, thepreviously-determined location may be determined from a previous milkingcycle in which the dairy cow had not been milked for approximately eighthours. Referring to historical data may minimize the area that secondcamera 158 b must scan in order to locate the teat and may reduce theamount of time required to locate the teat.

Second camera 158 b may communicate the second image 180 to controller200, and controller 200 may access the second image 180 to locate theteats of the dairy cow. As described above, in certain embodiments,second camera 158 b may comprise a two-dimensional camera, such as ahorizontal laser. If the horizontal laser may scan a portion of theudder other than the teats (e.g., a relatively even surface of theudder), the scan communicated to controller 200 may generally resemble asubstantially solid line. If the horizontal laser scans a portion of theudder that includes the teats, the scan communicated to controller 200may generally resemble a broken line depicting the teats and the spacesbetween the teats. As an example, controller 200 may determine that ateat has been located if the scan comprises a broken line in which asolid portion of the line generally corresponds to the width of a teatand the broken portions of the line generally correspond to theproportions of the space between teats.

In certain embodiments, robotic attacher 150 may further comprise anozzle 182. Nozzle 182 may be coupled to gripping portion 156. Nozzle182 may spray disinfectant on the teats of the dairy cow at the end of amilking cycle, that is, after the dairy cow has been milked and the teatcups have been removed. The disinfectant may be sprayed to preventmastitis or other inflammation or infection. In certain embodiments,gripping portion may be operable to rotate 180° around the x-axis.During milking, second camera 158 b may be generally oriented on top ofgripping portion 156, and nozzle 182 may be generally orientedunderneath gripping portion 156 (i.e., opposite second camera 158 b).Orienting nozzle 182 underneath gripping portion 156 during milking mayprevent milk or other contaminants from accessing nozzle 182. Once themilking has been completed, gripping portion 156 may rotate such thatnozzle 182 may be generally oriented on top of gripping portion 156, andsecond camera 158 b may be generally oriented underneath grippingportion 156. Orienting nozzle 182 on top of gripping portion 156 aftermilking may facilitate spraying the teats with disinfectant from nozzle182.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method 500 for milking a dairy cow usingthe example milking box 120 depicted in FIGS. 1-4, according to certainembodiments of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, milkingbox 120 may be positioned within enclosure 100, and at least one of thegates 126 of stall portion 122 may be opened to allow the dairy cow tovoluntarily enter milking box 120. At step 502, presence sensor 132detects the presence of the dairy cow. Presence sensor 132 communicatesa signal to controller 200 indicating the presence of the dairy cow hasbeen detected. Controller 200 sends a signal to an actuator causinggates 126 to close at step 504. Thus, the dairy cow is prevented fromexiting the milking box. Gate closed sensor 134 determines that thegates are closed and communicates a gate-closed signal to controller200. In response to the gate-closed signal, controller 200 causes themilking procedure to proceed to the next step. For example, controller200 sends a signal requesting identification sensor 136 to provide anidentifier associated with the dairy cow.

At step 506, identification sensor 136 reads an ear tag, collar, orother identifier (e.g., an RFID signal) associated with the dairy cow.Identification sensor 136 communicates the identifier to controller 200to facilitate determining the identity of the cow. At step 508,controller 200 retrieves information associated with the particulardairy cow according to the determined identity of the dairy cow. Forexample, information may be retrieved from memory 240. Controller 200determines whether to proceed with milking the dairy cow at step 510.The determination may be made according to the information associatedwith the dairy cow. For example, if the information indicates that thedairy cow is ill or that the dairy cow has already been milked in thecurrent milking cycle, a determination may be made not to proceed withmilking the dairy cow. Alternatively, if the information indicates thatthe dairy cow is healthy and that it is time to milk the dairy cow, adetermination may be made to proceed with milking the dairy cow. If thedairy cow is to be milked, the method continues to step 512. If thedairy cow is not to be milked, the method skips to step 548.

At step 512, controller 200 causes a dispenser to drop feed into feedbowl 130 and positions feed bowl 130. In certain embodiments, feed bowl130 may move toward the rear of the stall to encourage the dairy cow toback-up toward the milking equipment. Controller 200 determines that thedairy cow is positioned near the milking equipment at step 514. Forexample, a signal received from backplane 138 of milking box 120 may beused to determine that the dairy cow is positioned near the milkingequipment. The signal may indicate when the rear of the dairy cowtouches a portion of backplane 138. Upon determining the dairy cow ispositioned near the milking equipment (e.g., toward the rear of thestall portion of the milking box), controller 200 instructs first camera158 a to generate a first image 176 of the rear of the dairy cow at step516. In certain embodiments, first camera 158 a may be positioned onrobotic attacher 150, and first camera 158 a may begin generating thefirst image 176 in-flight, that is, as robotic attacher 150 retrieves apreparation cup 166 or teat cup 168 from storage and begins moving thecup toward the udder. At step 518, controller 200 receives the firstimage 176. The first image 176 includes main features of the dairy cow,such as the hind legs, the udder, and/or the tail. Controller 200accesses the first image 176 to determine a reference point 178 at step520. As an example, the reference point 178 may comprise a point betweenthe dairy cow's hind legs, a point below the dairy cow's udder, and/or apoint proximate to a mid-point of the udder. The mid-point may refer toa point between a first teat and a second teat (e.g., between a leftteat and a right teat and/or between a front teat and a rear teat).

At step 522, controller 200 sends a signal causing robotic attacher 150to position second camera 158 b relative the reference point 178.Controller 200 communicates historical data to second camera 158 b atstep 524. The historical data may comprise data retrieved from adatabase that indicates a previously-determined location of the teatsduring a previous milking cycle. The previously-determined location maybe described relative to the reference point 178. The method proceeds tostep 526 where controller 200 sends a signal causing second camera 158 bto generate a second image 180. Second camera 158 b may generate thesecond image 180 by scanning a portion of the udder indicated by thehistorical data. Second camera 158 b may scan the whole teat tofacilitate identifying the angle of the teat and the point attachment.At step 528, the controller 200 receives the second image 180 from thesecond camera. Controller 200 accesses the second image 180 to determinethe location of the teats at step 530. The teats may be located in anysuitable manner, such as one at a time, two at a time, or four at atime.

Upon determining the location of the teats, controller 200 causesrobotic attacher 150 to attach one or more preparation cups 166 at step532. Second camera 158 b may continue to scan the teat while thepreparation cup is being attached. Continuing to scan the teat may allowfor efficient attachment of the preparation cup. In addition, continuingto scan the teat may allow the preparation cup to be attached at asuitable angle, with the mouthpiece centered on the teat, to preventfolding the teat into the preparation cup. Vacuum pressure may be usedto hold the preparation cups in place. Preparation cup 166 facilitatespreparing the teat at step 534. Preparation may include cleaning theteat, stimulating the flow of milk, and discarding fore milk from theteat. After each of the teats have been prepared, preparation cups 166may be removed at step 536. For example, the vacuum pressure may bereleased to remove the preparation cups and the preparation cups may bereturned to the storage area.

The method continues to step 538, where controller 200 causes roboticattacher 150 to attach a teat cup 168. For example, teat cup 168 may beretrieved from storage area 164 and navigated to the teat. Second camera158 b may continue to scan the teat while the teat cup 168 is beingattached to ensure proper placement of the teat cups. Vacuum pressuremay be used to attach the teat cup 168. A sensor may be used todetermine the vacuum pressure associated with each teat cup 168. If thevacuum level is low, it may indicate that teat cup 168 has fallen offand needs to be reattached. In certain embodiments, additional teat cups168 may be attached by re-performing steps 522-530 to locate additionalteats.

Once teat cups 168 have been attached to all four teats, roboticattacher 150 may retract and the method may proceed to step 540 toextract milk from the dairy cow. As an example, milk may be extracted byapplying pulsation to the teat cup. A sensor may monitor the flow ofmilk. If the flow becomes low, it may be determined whether teat cup 168should be removed or reattached. For example, if teat cup 168 has beenattached for at least approximately one-and-a-half minutes and/or theamount of milk extracted is consistent with previous milking cycles, itmay be determined that teat cup 168 should be removed, otherwise, it maybe determined that teat cup 168 should be reattached. When it isdetermined that teat cup 168 should be removed, controller 200 initiatesstep 542 to remove teat cups 168. For example, controller 200 may send asignal causing the vacuum pressure to be released to allow teat cups 168to drop from the teats. Teat cups 168 may be returned to storage area164 by retracting hoses attached to teat cups 168 or by any othersuitable method. Controller 200 then sends a signal to robotic attacher150 to cause gripping portion 156 to rotate at step 544 in order toorient nozzle 182 toward the teat. The method applies disinfectant tothe teat at step 546 by spraying the disinfectant through nozzle 182.

At step 548, controller 200 determines which gate(s) 126 to open.Selectively opening gates 126 may allow the dairy cow to be sorted intoa particular region 110 of enclosure 100. The dairy cow may be sorted ifits milk tested bad, if it failed to produce a sufficient amount ofmilk, if information retrieved from a database indicates the dairy cowshould be sorted, or for other suitable reasons. Controller 200 sends asignal causing an actuator to open the selected gate(s) at step 550. Incertain embodiments, a prod may be used to encourage the dairy cow toexit the milking box. The dairy cow exits the milking box and the methodends.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method 600 for installation of milking box120, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Themethod may begin by positioning walls 124 in order to define stallportion 122. For example, the method positions a front wall 124 a atstep 602. The method proceeds to step 604 where a rear wall 124 c ispositioned substantially parallel to front wall 124 a. Rear wall 124 cmay be spaced apart from front wall 124 a a suitable distance toaccommodate a dairy cow. At step 606, a first side wall 124 b ispositioned to extend between front wall 124 a and rear wall 124 c. Thefirst side wall may include one or more gates, such as an entry gate 126a and an exit gate 126 b. The method proceeds to step 608 to position asecond side wall 124 d to extend between front wall 124 a and rear wall124 c. Second side wall 124 d may be spaced apart from first side wall124 d in order to accommodate a dairy livestock within stall portion122. Second side wall 124 d may or may not include gates 126. Forexample, in certain embodiments, second side wall 124 d may comprise asecond entry gate 126 a and a second exit gate 126 b. In alternativeembodiments, second side wall 124 d may be positioned adjacent a secondmilking box and may define a boundary between milking box 120 and theadjacent milking box. In step 610, an equipment portion 128 ispositioned to the rear of milking box 120, adjacent rear wall 124 c.Rear wall 124 c may comprise a backplane 138 adapted to physicallycontact a mid-flank portion of the dairy livestock when the dairylivestock is positioned proximate to equipment portion 128 of milkingbox 120.

At step 612, a movable feed bowl 130 may be positioned within milkingbox 120. Movable feed bowl 130 may be adapted to move from the front ofmilking box 120 toward the rear of milking box 120 to encourage thedairy livestock to back-up toward backplane 138. The method may proceedto step 614 to install a plurality of sensors within milking box 120.Examples of sensors include a presence sensor 132 adapted to detect thepresence of the dairy livestock within milking box 120, one or more gateclosed sensors 134 to detect whether gates 126 are closed, and alivestock identification sensor 136 adapted to determine the identity ofthe dairy livestock present within milking box 120. At step 616, a wastegrate 140 may be positioned within milking box 120.

The method may proceed to step 618 to position a rail 160. Rail 160 maybe positioned to extend in a horizontal direction substantially parallelto rear wall 124 c. For example, the horizontal direction may refer tothe z-axis illustrated in FIG. 3. In certain embodiments, rail 160 maybe positioned proximate to rear wall 124 c. At step 620, a roboticattacher 150 may be positioned in milking box 120. Robotic attacher maycomprise a main arm 152, a supplemental arm 154, including a grippingportion 156, and a vision system 158. In certain embodiments, roboticattacher 150 may be positioned in equipment portion 128 of milking box120 by suspending main arm 152 from rail 160. Accordingly, main arm 152may be operable to traverse rail 160 in the horizontal direction. Incertain embodiments, one or more guides 162 may be positioned proximateto rail 160. Guides 162 may be adapted to guide the path of hoses andwires connected to robotic attacher 150 to prevent the hoses and wiresfrom interfering with the movement of main arm 152 along rail 160.Supplemental arm 154 may be positioned to facilitate selectivelyextending supplemental arm 154 between the rear legs of the dairylivestock located within stall portion 122.

The method proceeds to step 622 to position other milking equipment inequipment portion 128 of milking box 120. Other milking equipment mayinclude one or more preparation cups 164, teat cups 168, pumps 170, milkreceiver jars 172, and/or milk separation containers 174. The methodthen ends.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systemsdescribed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Thecomponents may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations maybe performed by more, fewer, or other components. Additionally, theoperations may be performed using any suitable logic comprisingsoftware, hardware, and/or other logic. As used in this document, “each”refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the methodsdescribed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, the steps may be combined, modified, or deleted whereappropriate, and additional steps may be added. Additionally, the stepsmay be performed in any suitable order without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

Although the present invention has been described with severalembodiments, diverse changes, substitutions, variations, alterations,and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it isintended that the invention encompass all such changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications as fall within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a robotic attacher,comprising: suspending a robotic attacher from a rail; extending therobotic attacher between the legs of a dairy livestock; attachingmilking equipment to the dairy livestock using a gripping portion of therobotic attacher during a milking operation, wherein the grippingportion has a nozzle that is positioned away from a teat of the dairylivestock during the milking operation; and rotating the grippingportion of the robotic attacher so that the nozzle is positioned to facea teat of the dairy livestock during a spraying operation.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: determining an identity of the dairylivestock; and determining whether to milk the dairy livestock based atleast in part upon the identity of the dairy livestock; whereinattaching the milking equipment comprises attaching the milkingequipment to the dairy livestock if it is determined that the dairylivestock is to be milked.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thegripping portion comprises a wrist operable to perform a tilt movement.4. The method of claim 1, the gripping portion comprises a wristoperable to perform a pivot movement.
 5. A method of operating a roboticattacher, comprising: suspending a robotic attacher from a rail;extending the robotic attacher between the legs of a dairy livestock;operating a vision system during a milking operation, wherein the visionsystem is positioned on a first surface of the robotic attacher and atleast one nozzle is positioned on a second surface of the roboticattacher substantially opposite the first surface; and rotating aportion of the robotic attacher such that the at least one nozzle ispositioned generally on the top of the robotic attacher and the visionsystem is positioned generally on the bottom of the robotic attacherduring a spraying operation.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein therobotic attacher comprises a gripping portion having the first andsecond surfaces where the vision system and nozzle are positioned. 7.The method of claim 6, further comprising attaching milking equipment tothe dairy livestock using the gripping portion of the robotic attacherduring the milking operation, wherein the nozzle is positioned away froma teat of the dairy livestock during the milking operation.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the gripping portion comprises a wristoperable to perform a tilt movement.
 9. The method of claim 6, whereinthe gripping portion comprises a wrist operable to perform a pivotmovement.